Barometric condenser.



L. A. WOODARD.

BAROMETRIC CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED 05023, I914.

PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

INVENTOR 0 5*, QJkm-MLM COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPPLCO"WASHINGTON. n. c.

WITNESSES gamma);

WWZFM 1 arrel). STATES OFFICE 2 LOUIS A. WOODARD, or YOUNGSTOWN, omo, Assre non-rro rnn WILLIAM Ton COMPANY,'OF Younes'rowmlonlo.noonronnrronor OHIO.

BAaoM 'naIo CONDENSER;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS A. WoooARn, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Youngstown, in the county of Mahoningand State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Barometric Condensers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full,.clear, andexact description t ereof.

My invention has relation to the classof barometric condensers and is designed to provide a novel, arrangement of the free steam exhaust for such condensers.

I-Ieretofore, it has been customary either to provide at some part of the condenser or in the steam inlet pipe a free exhaust con-' trolled by a valve normally held closed by the action of the vacuum within the condenser, or the steam is allowed to escape through openings in the tail pipe by displacing all or part of the water in the hot well. These valves are very expensive and are exceedingly diflicult to keep inproper work ing order, owing to-the difficulty of holding them properly seated and the discharge of the water from the hot well either through a vent pipe or directly is objectionable. It is also a known expedient to provide the tail pipe with a free exhaust pipe opening into it below the normallevel of the water in the hot well or sink. This also is objectionable for the reason that an objectionably large volume of water must be discharged from the exhaust pipe either in the atmosphere around the engine room or into the engine room itself. Furthermore, in such construction, the hot well must be drained to the point of connection of the free exhaust or to a depth representing the height of the seal.

This depth is in practice made very small and,-therefore, there is more danger of the I vacuum being broken due to surging in the hot well than will be the case where an independent trap is used. as in my invention.

My invention has for its object the overcoming of the objections noted to these constructions, and has the further advantage that it can be started without supplying a large volume of water for the purpose of forming the seal.

My invention is designed to avoid the use of valves of this character and to provide a free steam exhaust so arranged that the escape of steam is normally prevented through such exhaust by a water seal but which upon Specification of Letters'latent. I I Pat efitfl Sept, 7, 1915,

Application filed December 23; 1914. Serial No; 878,799. I

stood by reference to the accompanying I drawings in which 'I have shownone embodiment thereof, and which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofmy invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevas tion partly in section of a condenser apparatusembodying the invention; Figs. 2, 3, and 42 are similar fragmentary views show ingin conjunction with Fig. 1 the various stages in the operation of the device. In the attached drawing, the numeral-2 designates the condensing chamber and 3 designates the vacuum pipe communicating with the upper portion of the chamber and connected to an exhaust pump in the usual way.

4 is the usual water inlet pipe and 6 is the inlet pipe for the steam; 7 is the-usual'ta'il pipe which extends downwardly from the bottom of the condenser into a sink 8 into which the water of condensation is discharged from the tail pipe.

In my construction the free steamexhaust 9 communicates with the tail pipe 7 at a point A, which is above the normal water level in the sink 8. The free exhaustpipe 9 is constructed with a return bend 10, or equivalent, which in the normal working of the condenser, provides a water seal of the free. exhaust and the free exhaust pipe is further provided with a lip 11, at the point of communication with the tail pipe.

The operation is as follows: Under normal working conditions, there is a column of water in the tail pipe 7 of a height depending upon tlie vacuum in the condenser, which seals the free exhaust pipe 9. When, however, the vacuum falls in the condenser, the water will fall in the tail pipe to a point below the point of communication A as shown in Fig. 2, and, should it be forced down by the steam pressure to a point below the level of the point 10, as in Fig. 8, the water in the water seal will be forced out through the pipe 9, which will then act as a free exhaust pipe, as in Fig. I. This will be done Without the escape of steam through known.

the hot well or sink or the discharge of a volume of water from the hot well or sink. In starting the condenser the water seal is insured either by deflecting into the pipe 9 part of the water discharging through the tail pipe 7, because of the resistance offered by the lip 11, or through an auxiliary and I independent source as indicated at 13.

The advantage of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and to whom the expense and difficulties of the Ordinary free exhaust valve in connection with condensers of this type and the trouble of discharge and difiiculties of taking care of so large a volume of water involved in lowering to the level of the hot well are well My invention can be readily and easily applied to existing condensers, and obviates the use ofvacuum seated valves, while at the same time, it provides for the free exhaust of steam upon failure of the which it discharges, a free steam exhaust passage communicating with the tail pipe at a point above the normal water level in the sink or receptacle and a trap for automatically sealing said passage.

3. In a barometric condenser, a tail pipe leading from the condenser, a sink or recep tacle into which the tail pipe leads and discharges, a free steam exhaust passage communicating with the tail pipe at a point above the normal water level in the sink or receptacle and means at the point of connection of the tail pipe with the free exhaust passage to deflect water from said pipeinto said passage.

4. Ina barometric condenser, a tail pipe leading from the condenser chamber, a sink or receptacle into which the tail pipe leads and into which it discharges, a free steam exhaust passage communicating with the tail pipe at a point abovethe normal water passage therewith to automatically deflect water from said pipe into said trap.

In testimonywhereof, I the said LOUIS A.

'WOODARD have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS A. woonann YVitnesses:

H. J. STAMBAUGH, SAMUEL J. RILEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

